


A Slow Ticking

by Empress_of_Trash



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Sugar Daddy, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Sex, Eventual Smut, Luffy Being Luffy, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Secret Relationship, Slow Burn, Witness Protection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-12
Updated: 2018-06-12
Packaged: 2019-05-21 08:49:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14912256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Empress_of_Trash/pseuds/Empress_of_Trash
Summary: Luffy is searching for something.Crocodile is running from something.This will either end in a disaster or a miracle, Robin decides.





	A Slow Ticking

**Author's Note:**

> So this is the Modern AU I never expected to write. Like wow, I do not ship this.
> 
> (Except I read this one story and now I have to write this story to get it out of my system.)
> 
> This is pretty experimental. The first couple chapters are short but it should grow as I go. Mostly setting up world and figuring things out.

Luffy trekked through Robin’s new neighborhood with curious eyes. He had been to Robin and Franky’s house, they all had, for the Housewarming Party. Luffy had been coming over practically everyday since June began. The neighborhood, a freshly built “community”, had been empty then and ever so often a new family would show up and change the place a bit.

 

Luffy liked the neighbors. They were all a little weird.

 

Crocus was an old retired doctor who it turned out knew Brook. He had a giant Newfoundland named Laboon, who used to belong to Brook and his friends before they'd lost him. Luffy was allowed to come over and visit to play wrestle whenever he wanted. Crocus was kinda grumpy and had weird timing, but he was a nice guy.

 

The Boa sisters were also pretty nice. Though Hancock the was a little odd with her habit of going red and reacting extremely when Luffy was around. Their grandma said it was fine, so he mostly shrugged it off and accepted their food when offered.

 

Rebecca and her dad were great. They had shown up when everyone was helping Franky and Robin move in and brought food with them. Plus they had monthly “street barbeques” and everyone who lived there was invited. They'd been the ones to give Franky some seeds for the sunflowers growing in the house's flower beds and boxes.

 

Kuzan who lived across the road seemed pretty relaxed, taking naps on his porch and walking his dog, SP. He and Robin seemed to know each other. They had a really serious talk the first week, but since then Luffy would sometimes see them having coffee together or sharing some of the brownies that Luffy wasn't allowed to eat anymore. They had made him hungry enough to eat everything in the fridge and then really sick and scared of everything. He'd spent most of the evening frantically checking on everyone and calling Ace and Sabo repeatedly to make sure they were okay.

 

One of the empty houses, the biggest one you could barely see passed the hedges and yard had its gates open. A van was parked outside it and Luffy could see some nice cars parked at the end of the driveway.

 

Bonney, the head of the bright pink Sorority House beside Rebecca’s, nodded at him from her place in the lawn chair laid out in her bathing suit and watching the house through pink shades. He quickly took the beer she pulled out of the cooler beside her and popped off the tab.

 

“New neighbors,” she told him, eyeing the cars disapprovingly.

 

“Are they nice?” Luffy asked. He knew Robin would know everything about them by the end of the day anyway, but Bonney always made funny faces and described people in odd ways that made him laugh. Sanji had been the ‘Curly Fry Love Child’ for weeks, while Zoro had been ‘The Guy Who’s Half-Plant’. So far only Chopper, who Bonney had stared down threateningly until Chopper had almost cried and Bonney had finally simply reached over and petted his curls, and Vivi, who Bonney had told Luffy was “a walking lesbian wet dream of kindness and beautiful fluffy hair and she’s just too perfect dammit I'm so gay” while drunk and crying on his shoulder, had been remembered by their names initially.

 

“I've seen seven different people go in and out one looked like the living incarnation of a lemonade cookie, another like Neo took up a hobby of flashing, and all of them looked at me as if they were offended by the mere thought of titties. So, I got out my bikini and have been drinking since then. The man looks ready to start shouting about the children and I fully intend to test them by making out with Kalifa when she gets home.”

 

Luffy nodded, noticing that a lot of the people moving about were in the same white uniform. A blonde woman with short hair and a dress with lemon slices on it seemed to be directing them. She looked up briefly and Bonney pointedly raised her beer in a salute. The strange woman pursed her lips and looked away.

 

“If they say anything about the girls skirts I'm siccing Officer Hina on them.” Bonney said with grim satisfaction.

 

Luffy shivered. He'd met Hina officially when Smoker was dropping by to check in on Robin and Franky getting settled. Unofficially though it had been when he'd seen her snap a man's back with kick. Hina was scary when she wanted to be and she and Bonney had bonded one terrifying drunk night that had been both fun and scary to witness.

 

Smoker still hadn't forgiven Luffy for introducing them and scowled more than normal when he showed up for lunches at the man's house when Robin and Franky were out. He still fed him though, even if it was just so he could “casually” ask how Ace was. Smoker sometimes forgot Luffy wasn't a complete idiot. The poor man thought he was being subtle.

 

“Maybe they'll turn out better.” Luffy offered. “Rosinante was nice.”

 

Bonney snorted.

 

Rosinante Donquixote had been met with a general sort of wariness from the neighborhood. The Boas hated him for his name and Bonney had found him tangled up in the sorority’s laundry. The general consensus was the man was a horrible pervert. There had almost been a campaign to “purge” the neighborhood by a very bloodthirsty Bonney, before Rosinante’s son, Law, and Nami had vouged for him really being clumsy enough to fall off the ladder from the other side of the fence and into the clothesline. The panicked man’s proclamation that he was gay and therefore uninterested had further soothed Bonney, who had since adopted Rosinante as her personal cookie supplier.

 

“Have you eaten?” Bonney asked suspiciously, eyeing Luffy’s drink. “No alcohol on an empty stomach don't want Mama Robin crucifying me.”

 

A pizza slice was shoved his way and Luffy accepted it happily not bothering to correct Bonney. Free food was free food.

 

“Responsible,” Bonney said sagely, nodding to herself.

 

“Mmy Momnhe,” he told her through the mouthful. She raised her glass to him, grabbing for her own slice and making pointed eye contact with the latest strangely dressed person to exit the house.

 

Luffy hummed, eating and drinking, as he cut across the remaining yards.

 

. . .

 

Robin was waiting on her back porch when Luffy arrived the empty bottled balanced on his head. She didn't look up from her book, _The Rainbow Mist Vol. III_ , as she greeted him.

 

“Hello Captain,” her soft voice said and Luffy grinned dipping his head forward and catching the bottle to drop in the trash. Robin was the only one who regularly called him Captain anymore. At first it was as part of the agreement they had made with the government to keep it secret. Then in his parents determination to “move on” any references to the past, even Luffy’s beloved title, was unofficially banned. The others had followed his behavior, but Robin kept it up.

 

Luffy thought sometimes Robin had known what was going to happen. She was probably one of the smartest people he knew and understood people better. Plus the title was as much about their connection together as anything and Luffy knew Robin had realized it even before he did.

 

“Hey Robin,” Luffy returned and perched on the boulder beside the pool. The rock garden seemed a little silly to Luffy, rocks weren't grown and gardens were green, but Robin liked it and he enjoyed his ‘special seat’.

 

“Franky’s out. He received a commission he was eager to get started on.” Robin told him, flipping through her pages even as another hand reached for the pretty flower bookmark on the table.

 

“Know.” Luffy answered leaning back, almost parallel with the water to look at the sky. “Sabo’s work did it. He told me. Was bored so I came over.”

 

After a moment he remembered Makino’s request before he left and flipped his bag into his lap, sitting up to dig inside the string bag. It had sunk to the bottom, but Luffy pulled it out with a “ha!”. When he turned to Robin her book as closed and she was looking at him with her small smile, hands pretty and crossed in her lap. She reached forward palm up and he dropped it in her hand.

 

“Mom finished editing the wedding video. She told me to bring it.”

 

Robin’s face lit up at that looking at the small green flash drive more eagerly. She looked up at Luffy and her face softened.

 

“Would you like to watch it with me?” she asked.

 

Luffy shrugged. “Sure.”

 

He didn't say he'd watched it and others every day since Nami left. She didn't ask pulling him beside her for a cuddle on the coach as they watched it on the big screen “super” TV Franky had special ordered. Luffy laughed with Robin when Zoro gave his best man speech and petted her hair when she cried again with the video Robin when Franky said his vows. They held each other silently throughout the clips of everyone dancing together and laughing, happy and drunk on the joy of success. And a little alcohol. When the final shot was a still one of everyone gathered together Robin tangled her hand in Luffy’s hair and hummed a song.

 

“Want to stay the night?” she asked. “Franky won't mind you sleeping with us.”

 

Luffy shook his head. “Ace’ll be home tomorrow. Wanna see him.”

 

Robin hummed and they laid together a little while. Franky arrived home with a loud “Honey I'm back!” and after giving Robin a kiss, joined them on the coach. Robin kissed Luffy’s temple and Franky ruffled his hair when he wiggled out a couple hours later.

 

He was only just able to convince them to let him walk home alone with a promise to text them when he got there.

 

Luffy walked back, humming Robin’s song and saw the lights were only on in one room of the big house. All the cars were gone but one. He eyed the empty building from the gate and his nose twitched as he smelled something warm and spicy coming from the Sorority house. Luffy shook his head.

 

He wasn't very hungry.


End file.
